A group of friends decided to try an experiment in frugal “earth-friendly” living. They wouldn’t buy anything new for an entire year. Since the idea was to save the planet, not their pocketbooks, they were allowed to buy things secondhand, and of course, to buy food and toilet paper etc. So what happened?
Retail Services
The More You Stuff You Sell Through Walmart, The Lower Your Gross Profit Margin
By 4.26.07
To measure the “Wal-Mart effect” on profits across different industries, Forbes analyzed information compiled by Revere to compare the percentage of sales that various firms generated through Wal-Mart in fiscal 2006 to the gross margins those firms produced during the same period, as compiled by FactSet . The survey covered 333 companies in six industry sectors–apparel & accessories, consumer games & electronics, household accessories, food & beverage, personal care and leisure goods–that Revere identified as heavy Wal-Mart sellers and their competitors.
We’ve summarized their results inside.
Walmart To Lay Off 3,000 Sam's Club Managers In The Name Of Customer Service
By 4.26.07
Walmart is dropping 3,000 Sam’s Club managers. according to an article in the WSJ. The managers, who used to be in charge of specific sections of the store (i.e. bakery, meat, photo). can now choose a severance package, quit, or remain on as hourly workers.
Morning Deals
By 4.26.07
• Woot: It’s a Woot-off. Once one crazy deal sells out, they put up another in its place.
Best Buy Either Voided Your XBOX Warranty Or Sold You A Used Unit
By 4.25.07
UPDATE: Dan gets sweet sweet resolution.
JetBlue CEO Interested In In-flight Text Messaging
By 4.25.07
David Neeleman, founder and chief executive of JetBlue, said text communications could prove attractive but agrees with the misgivings of many U.S. airline executives about the onboard use of cell phones for voice calls.
Hey, Bank of America! Your ATM Gave Me A Fake $20
By 4.25.07
We’d always sort of assumed that someone had to check the to make sure money was real before they put it into an ATM, but apparently a few fake bills have been known to slip by. Wealth Junkie blogger Alexander had $4 in his wallet when he stopped by a Bank of America ATM to get cash for his Costco shopping trip. When a cashier at Costco spotted a fake $20, Alexander knew exactly where it came from.
Walmart's Spying Operation Is Hiring!
By 4.25.07
Former CIA or FBI intelligence expert? Want to train your eye on more… “innocent” suspects than you did during your days in law enforcement? Look no further than Walmart’s Global Security division, which is headed by former senior CIA and FBI senior officer Kenneth Senser and Army Special Operations veteran David Harrison.
Top 5 Online Banks For Customer Satisfaction
By 4.25.07
You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but you can try. Here’s a list of the online banks that are trying the hardest.
Bank of America Buys LaSalle Bank, Becomes Biggest Bank In Chicago
By 4.24.07
Bank of America’s takeover of LaSalle will vault it ahead of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Chicago, increase earnings and satisfy a goal of Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lewis to gain market share in the third-largest U.S. city. While Bank of America has been opening branches there since 2003, Chicago remained one of the few major U.S. financial centers where it didn’t rank among the top five lenders by deposits.
You can never escape! Bank of America will find you no matter where you go. It will shut down your coffee shop and it will open a branch. Ha, ha, ha! If you try to use a local bank, it will buy your local bank. It will find you.—MEGHANN MARCO
Target: Nintendo DS Lite On Sale With No Discount
By 4.24.07
Reader Colin writes us to share an email he sent to Target about their practice of marking items as “Sale”… with no actual discount. Colin writes to Target:
I’m currently in the process of shopping for a Nintendo DS, and have been keeping out for any kind of deals on the item before I buy it. Today I was in the Turnersville Target, and I noticed a big red SALE tag on the DSes. However, the price was still the usual $129.99. I asked the clerk at the electronics counter and he told me “Yeah, that just means it’s at the price in the flyer.” Quite frankly, the only word I can think of for marking an item with a SALE tag when it is not, in fact, at a sale price, is deceptive.
We thought this might have been an isolated incident in New Jersey, so we went to our local Brooklyn Target and sure enough, the Nintendo DS Lite is marked “Sale” even though there is no discount.
Court Transcript Of "Peek Squad" Agent's No-Contest Plea
By 4.23.07
We just received the court transcript detailing former Geek Squad Agent Hao Kuo Chi “no-contest” plea in the case of his alleged setting up a cameraphone while on call in a customer’s house and recording a young woman taking a shower.
Bank Of America Let Conwoman Steal My Dead Aunt's Identity And Rob Her Safe Deposit Box
By 4.23.07
Ariel’s wealthy aunt died. When his mom went to open her safe deposit box, which was supposed to hold $300k in bonds and jewels, it was empty. The bank clerk said that it had been emptied that morning, by the aunt…
Can I Get This Cheaper Online? Text Frucall
By 4.23.07
Frucall upgraded its free instant comparison shopping service for cellphones so now all you have to do is send a text message. Simply text “fru” and the product barcode to a special number and get the results back by text.
VIDEO: "Mercury Is A Natural Element" – Free Lightbulb Day At Chelsea Home Depot
By 4.23.07
While we agree with Mr. skeptical glasses in the video that it’s a good PR move for Home Depot, and coincides with the launch of their “green label” line of “eco-friendly” products, you know, consumers need a push with this issue. It’s hard for the shoppers at large to understand that while they cost a little bit more than your basic bulb, they will use less energy and save you money in the long-run. They also look funny.
